Henry
by chocolatepokes
Summary: In Stephen King's "Cell: A Novel", Alice Maxwell's last word is "Henry". This is my take on who Henry is, and what happens to him before and after the Pulse.
1. Chapter 1: The Fields

Wildflowers pounded against Alice's dress as she ran across the sunny field. "Henry!" she exclaimed.

The boy named 'Henry' turned as soon as he heard his name. He smiled at the sight of the young girl. The long blade of grass he used as a whistle dropped from his fingers. "Hey," his voice trailed, smooth like silk. "How did the party go?"

"Boring... as usual," giggled Alice. She wiped her sweaty hands on the skirt of her dress. "You know how tea parties go." She waited for a reply, but none came. This made her cheeks hot. "The crumpets weren't as fresh as they could be." A shy smile ran across her face.

Her smile reciprocated onto Henry. He could feel himself falling even more for the girl. He did not want to seem uninterested, so he said the first thing that came to mind, "And the tea?"

"The tea was fine. Earl Grey. The usual. Haha." She bit her lower lip.

"Well that's great," replied Henry. He could not think of anything more to say. His eyes fell to the ground, and he started to kick at the dirt. It reminded him of the first time he met Alice. It was at one of Boxford's soccer tournaments. She was the only girl among the teams of boys. Yet, she was, in his opinion, the best player. The crowd cheered for her, and went wild whenever she scored. At the end of that day, he had summed up the courage to talk to her, and they have been acquainted ever since. Alice was the only girl who saw him for who he actually was. And he fe-

"Alice!" called a far voice. In the distance, a figure waved at the duo. As it got closer, it was apparent that Alice's mother was calling for her.

"I have to get to get going," said Alice. "It's Wednesday."

"Ah, shopping day," replied Henry.

"As always."

"Promise to be back?"

Alice smiled and started to walk away. "I promise."

Henry watched until the girl disappeared beyond the pink field. He thought it looked beautiful, that she looked beautiful. Alice was the only girl who saw him for who he actually was. And he felt blessed to share her company.


	2. Chapter 2: Veridis Quo

The sun had set, bringing with it the ripples of gold in the river. Alice had not returned like she had said. Henry did not blame her.

He slowly left the dark field. The moon was not shining, but he knew his way around. This was his and Alice's so-called meeting point. He went there almost daily.

As he entered the town, the usual greeting street lamp was out. _Blackout_, thought Henry. _Hopefully, they get it back up before school tomorrow_. While turning the street corner, he heard a thud then a cry – or a howl, he was not sure – coming from Mr. Jules' house. _Mr. Jules shouldn't be building stuff in the dark_. Henry chuckled, imagining Jules hitting himself in the thumb with a hammer. He knew the first thing that he would tell Alice in the morning. He was almost certain that it would make her laugh. Henry smiled to himself. He can be so clever sometimes.

As he trailed along Main Street, his skin shivered from the wind's chill. The boy almost forgot that it was now October. He would have to flip his calendar when he got home.

His skin shivered again.

Although it was only the wind, Henry was sure the evening felt eerie. The town was flooded with darkness. He was afraid something would jump before him. Nothing did. At least not yet.

The sound of a heavy plastic object scrapping against the street's concrete startled Henry. His foot had kicked it into a puddle. He bent over and picked the object up. It was a cell phone. Henry sighed with relief. He was spooking himself out. Boxford was a safe town.

He put the gadget in his pocket and continued walking home. Somewhere in the distance he heard gunshots. Running home suddenly seemed like a great idea. _Boxford is a safe town_, he reminded himself. _This is just my imagination_.

It came as a surprise to him to find his front door unlocked. His family was neither in the living room nor in the kitchen, so Henry assumed they went to bed early. He climbed up the stairs and went into his bedroom. The door shut behind him. He put the cell phone on his nightstand and flopped on his bed. As soon as his head hit his pillow, he was asleep. He would have no dreams tonight.

Henry woke to a burst of light shining through his thin curtains. He blinked. The morning was silent and the electricity, still down. Did this mean class was cancelled for the day? He highly doubted it. When he would get to school, he would have to tell Alice about Mr. Jules. He would also bring the cell phone he found to the 'Lost & Found'. It was most likely a student's. An adult would never lose theirs.

He took the cell phone and headed downstairs for breakfast.

_Weird_, he thought. _No one is up yet_. Henry casually looked around the room, then to the cell phone in his hand. He was horrified to find it covered in dried blood. It fell to the floor.

His hands clasped over his mouth and he stared at the thing for a second or two longer than he should have. A thought came over his mind and he checked his hands. Blood was caked into his fingernails and stained some of his fingers. He trembled slightly.

Where was everyone?

The floor creaked from behind him. Before he had the chance to turn around, a voice came.

"_RAST_!"


End file.
